Miramont translates to 'look at the mountain.' Construction started in 1895, and Father Jean Baptist Francolon incorporated all the architectural features he liked into one castle. The castle features nine separate architectural styles incorporated randomly throughout, including Shingle-style Queen Anne, Romanesque, and English Tudor architecture. The castle was built with indoor plumbing and electricity.
Father Francolon was a French-born Catholic priest from a wealthy aristocratic family who moved to Manitou Springs in 1892 to seek healing waters and clean air. The local community deemed Father Francolon and his mother to be recluses, despite their hosting two fundraising balls at the castle in 1897. They left Manitou in 1900, leaving their furniture behind.
The land had a complex history before the priest bought it. It was once owned by Colonel John Chivington, commander of the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864. He sold the land in 1867 through his son-in-law via power of attorney, but later lost a lawsuit claiming he had not actually given his son-in-law power of attorney.
After the Francolons left, the Sisters of Mercy purchased Miramont in 1904 to use as the Montcalm Sanitarium. They moved patients into Miramont in 1907 after the original Montcalm Sanitarium burnt down. Miramont served as a boarding, vacation, and retreat house until the Sisters vacated in 1928. Today, it is a National Register of Historic Places listing.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Kyle McLonely
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